Implementation 11.1: Implementing Strategies

The 201 strategies outlined in the Island Plan vary widely. Some are already underway. This section discusses how we might get moving on the others.

To start out, the Island Plan Steering Committee, Work Groups, and MVC staff looked look at each strategy to understand what the priority is and who might be well placed to take it on. Table 11.1, at the end of this section, describes each strategy in more detail, with respect to the following criteria.

·  Type: Strategies include awareness activities, incentives, programs, projects, regulations, services, and studies.

·  Timing: For most strategies, it is clear that the idea is sound and work could start right away. For others, additional effort is required to determine whether the proposal really a good idea, perhaps by carrying out a feasibility study. Once an initiative gets underway, some are straightforward and could be implemented relatively quickly whereas for others, it might decades to be fully operational.

·  Cost: The general order of magnitude of costs can vary widely. For some proposals, such as modifying regulations, there is no direct cost. For others, such as dealing with excessive nitrogen in wastewater or offsetting our energy consumption by producing renewable energy, the cost might be in the tens, or even hundreds of millions of dollars. However, such projects could be funded through user fees, and end up resulting in cost savings.

·  Partners and Likely Lead Entity: Some of the proposals are primary government responsibilities – such as regulatory change or public improvements. For others, the leadership would naturally fall to the non-profit or private sectors. The summary table identifies which broad category it falls in, lists potential partners, and makes an initial and non-binding suggestion as to who appears to be best-placed to lead the effort to get it done.

·  Interdependencies: Some of the proposed strategies can be implemented without being dependant on or influencing other objectives strategies outlined in the Island Plan. For others, the ability to proceed depends on other proposals also going ahead, or the initiative might impact another efforts. 

·  Priority. While all the strategies merit being undertaken soon, the final version of the Island Plan will include a prioritization of proposals, including an indication of the most promising strategies to start with.

The following table lists and analyzes all the strategies, presenting them in the same order as the Island Plan.  With the final version of the Plan, a technical bulletin will be produced that organizes the strategies by type (e.g. all regulations together), by lead entity (e.g. all strategies that are the responsibilities of the MVC or of towns), and by priority.

To flesh out these strategies in more detail and to let people know how efforts are coming along, a Tracking Sheet will be prepared for priority strategies, posted on the Island Plan website, and updated regularly.  It will include more detail about the initiative, including the action steps needed to implement it and a description of best practices elsewhere. 

The Island Plan: Since the Island Plan is not an ongoing entity, it cannot directly take on the responsibility of implementing proposals. However, there are the three main roles that the Island Plan can play in implementation of the proposals in this document.

·  Initiate: For those priority strategies not already underway, the Island Plan Steering Committee and Work Groups can identify the key stakeholders and facilitate a series of working sessions, convening the possible stakeholders to discuss the strategy, to see whether the stakeholders believe that it is worth pursuing, and hopefully to identify who within the group the likely leader is.

·  Assist: The Island Plan Steering Committee and Work Groups, with the help of the MVC, can provide technical assistance to towns and other entities in helping them move ahead with implementation of these proposals. (See MVC Technical Assistance, below.)

·  Track: The Island Plan, supported by the MVC, will track implementation of strategies, to allow the community to monitor progress. The Island Plan Steering Committee has committed itself to meeting periodically to monitor progress in implementing the Island Plan.

Also, some of the Island Plan Work Groups might transform themselves into ongoing entities that take on coordination or implementation for their topics.

Martha's Vineyard Commission: The MVC initiated the Island Plan and provided technical support for its preparation. The Commission can implement some of the strategies itself and can provide support to implementation of some of the others, while there might be some where it is not involved at all. Its efforts would be mainly in the following two areas.

·  Regulatory: The Commission can implement many of the recommended policies and recommendations in the Island Plan through its regulatory responsibilities namely the review of Developments of Regional Development and the creation of Districts of Critical Planning Concern. These are discussed in the section 11.2.

Technical Assistance: The MVC can provide technical assistance to towns and to the community at large to help implement the strategies that are primarily their responsibility. This can include carrying out studies, and doing GIS mapping. MVC staff is in the process of compiling information about best practices, model bylaws, contact information, and links to other resources, which will be available on the Island Plan website.